Of Sounds and Shadows
by PrincessMeowKitty1889
Summary: Legolas discovers something unusual about a certain dwarf prisoner. (Deaf!Kili, Mirkwood Prison, Mention of Torture, Evil!Elves, No slash)
1. Chapter 1

Legolas peered through the bars at the dwarf laying in the cell, head facing the wall, hands chained to the floor with strong manacles. This one was odd, different from the rest and it wasn't just his fine features and dark hair that made him stand out in Legolas's mind. Out of all the dwarves, this one had remained the most quiet during the interrogations. The others, especially the blonde one, made no attempt to hide their distrust of the elves, or their disgust at being held as prisoners. This one had stared at them with a blank expression on his face, ignoring the jeer snibs and the questions thrown at him. It was like they were speaking a foreign language to him, and he didnt understand. It was his silence that had infuriated Thrandual to no end, and the dwarf had paid for it dearly. Legolas could see the bloody bandages on the dwarfs fingers from where the guards had pried off his fingernails, trying to force him to speak. But he wouldn't utter a sound. It was like he didn't understand what was going on. This is what confused Legolas, for they had spoken perfect westron to him, and to all the others and they all understood what was going on. Maybe this one didn't speak westron? Maybe only Khuzdule, like the older dwarf with the axe in his head. But even he seemed lucid enough to mutter dark insults.

Legolas rapped his knuckles on the cell door. "Dwarf!" he commanded harshly. The dwarf didn't move, from his position on the floor. Legolas sighed, and then knocked harder. "Dwarf! I have come to tend to you hands." he said loudly, in perfect westron. Still nothing.

It wasn't until Legolas lit a lantern, and it illuminated his shadow against the wall of the cell did the dwarf react. He jumped up in surprise at the shadow on the wall, and whipped his head around just long enough to Legolas, and then he scuttled backwards as far as the chains around his wrists would let him, quivering in fear.

"It's alright. I will not hurt you." Legolas reassured him, but the dwarf paid no attention to his words. He just yank harder on the chains and huddled into a smaller ball, eyes cast down away from the elf. Legolas took his keys and opened the cell door, bringing the lantern and basket of bandages with him. "I have come to tend to your hands." Legolas told him again, this time speaking louder than necessary. Still nothing. Legolas cautiously approached the dwarf, staying far back enough to avoid injury to himself. The chains weren't that long. Again, it was the shadow cast by the lantern that caught the dwarf's eye, and he once again startled in surprise at seeing Legolas so close to him. Legolas sat down beside the dwarf, and held out the basket of bandages for him to see.

"For your hands." he told him, the dwarf only stared at him, eyes wide and confused.

"Can you not understand me?" Legolas asked softly, the dwarf did nothing. Legolas though his behavior was rather odd, but at least he wasn't fighting tooth and claw, like the blonde one did when Legolas tried to tend to his broken nose.

Legolas started to reach for the dwarf's hand, but the dwarf jerked backwards against the wall, chains clinking loudly. Legolas sighed and scooted forward.

"Im not going to hurt you. I am here to help you." he told the dwarf slowly, pronouncing each syllable clearly. As if speaking louder and slower would help with the dwarf's understanding of a language he obviously didn't know. The dwarf then did something very odd. He raised his hands as far as the manacles would let him, and moved his fingers in an odd gesture, wincing slightly as the bandages came loose on his fingers. Legolas stared at him. What was going on? The dwarf narrowed his eyes again and repeated the sign, and then jabbing a finger towards Legolas, who was beginning to feel confused. What was the dwarf doing now? Why wasn't he speaking? Legolas sighed, he had to get on with this. He still had four more dwarves to tend to, and none of them would be easy. He grabbed the dwarf's wrist and pulled it to him. The dwarf resisted, a look of panic on his face. Legolas didn't say anything else, and stared to tend to the bloody fingers and wrist. The dwarf stopped struggling, probably realizing that Legolas was helping him.

A sound of thunder boomed down from above and Legolas jumped. _It must be storming outside. _He winced slightly as another boom came down, he had always hated storms like this. He then noticed something odd, even though the dwarf had reacted to his presence, and to the light of the lantern, he had not even twitched when the thunder sounded. Legolas looked up from bandaged the dwarf's fingers, the dwarf was quiet, and besides the mutinous glare, he was still. _Maybe dwarves don't mind thunder storms as much as we elves do. _

Legolas finished wrapping one had, and gestured for the next. The dwarf sighed, but handed him his other wrist without a fight.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Legolas asked, but was met with a confused stare.

"You don't talk at all?"

A blank stare.

"Can you understand me?"

Still nothing.

_Wait a second. _Legolas then lifted his free hand, and snapped.

"Can you hear that?" he asked the dwarf, who remained silent.

Legolas snapped again, this time closer to the dwarf's ear. No reaction at all.

"Can you hear at all?" Legolas then asked, and then suddenly it all clicked; the blank stares, the reacting only to shadows and light, the weird gesture he made with his hand. _Oh. He must be deaf! _That's why he hadn't said anything during the interrogations, the guards had had the dwarf's hands bound behind him.

Legolas finished bandaging the dwarf's other hand quickly, and the scooted backwards a little bit, bringing the lantern up closer so he could see the dwarf in the full light. Another boom of thunder racketed through the small dungeon. Legolas then held up his hands, "You" he spoke, and pointed to the dwarf, "No" he shook his head, "hear?" pointing to his ears. The dwarf continued to glare, but then he nodded his head slightly, and looked down at his hands. _Oh. _

It all made sense now, Legolas remembered back to the day before yesterday, when the dwarves had been led from Thrandual's court to their individual prisons. The blonde one had made quite a fuss.

_"Wait! Wait! Stop! You don't understand. We have to stay together!" the blonde shouted as the elves forced him and the small brown haired dwarf apart. The guards didn't listen as they separated the two. Legolas had been commandeering his own dwarf prisoner, one who had a peculiar shaped hat and looked on the brink of fainting. Legolas had tried to be careful, there really was no reason to be rough with them. He couldn't help but watch the blonde as he struggled against the guards, trying to get to the smaller dwarf._

_"Somebody shut him up! He'll disturb the entire fortress!" Another elf shouted angrily, and another fumbled with his belt to get a gag. It was then that the blonde had made eye contact with Legolas, "Please, please you have to understand. We need to be together, he's de-mmmph." the gag silenced his pleas and legolas sadly shook his head and watched as the blonde was paraded down one hallway, while the brown hair dwarf went in the opposite direction. _

It was odd, that the dwarves wanted to stay together. He had always thought of them as a solitary race. But then, Legolas never really learned about them. His father had forbidden him to ask questions about the children of Aule. It was a shame, really.

Legolas stared at the small dwarf in front of him. Now the blonde pleas had made sense, maybe he knew a way to communicate with this one?

Legolas than stood up, taking the basket and lantern with him.

He had another cell to visit.

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Hope enjoyed it, next part will come soon! Please read and review!


	2. Chapter 2

Fili scrunched his nose, trying to feel if it was broken. He glared up at the chains holding his hands above his head, like it was their fault that it had broken in the first place._If you hadn't fought so hard, they probably wouldn't have fettered you up like this _a voice that sounded like Balin berated him in his head. Fili sighed, the elves had no right to treat them like this, why wouldn't they just let them all go? His thoughts dashed to his brother, and he wondered how Kili was holding up, and prayed that the elves hadn't discovered his brother's secret.

Fili had first begun to notice something was wrong with Kili after they had escaped Goblin town. Thorin would yell a command, and Kili would be a step behind, or Bofur would crack a joke, and it would take a few seconds too long for Kili to respond. Fili worried for his brother, Kili had always been somewhat of a chatter box and seeing him so quiet and spaced out was unnerving. Fili didn't have the chance to speak privately with his brother until they were welcomed into Beorn's House and given private bedrooms to sleep in.

_"Kili, I want to talk to you." Fili knocked on the door, but there was no response._

_"Kili?" he asked again, knocking louder. Still nothing._

_"Im coming in now!" Fili half shouted, and then opened the door to find his brother sitting on the bed, engrossed in sharpening his knife with a whetting stone. Kili didn't look up, in fact, it was like he didn't even notice Fili was there, or that he had been pounding in the door. _

_"Kili?" Fili asked again, nudging Kili's bare feet with his boot. Kili jumped up, looking startled._

_"Hello brother, I didn't see you." Kili had said, his voice horse._

_"Ive been pounding on the door for the last five minutes, didn't you hear me?" Fili asked, noticing how his brother's forehead furrowed in confusion, and how his eyes never seemed to leave his lips._

_"What?" Kili asked_

_Fili sighed, and repeated himself, this time louder. And was slightly surprised when Kili's eyes went wide in panic, and he shook his head._

_"I-I cant…" Kili muttered, dropping the sword with a clang and putting his face in his hands._

_Fili sat down next to his brother, and put his hand on his shoulder. _

_"Can't what? Whats wrong?" he asked, but Kili didn't respond._

_"Kili? Kili look at me." Fili demanded, and when Kili didn't, he gently took his brother's chin and turned his head up so their eyes met._

_"What's wrong, brother? Please tell me. I know something isn't right. Ive been watching you, something is different. Please, please tell me." Fili asked_

_Kili jerked his chin away, and looked down at his hands._

_"I can't-haven't been-Ive been having trouble hearings things, 'is all." Kili muttered quietly, and Fili nodded. He had thought so, by the way Kili had been acting. He touched Kili's shoulder, and waited until Kili looked at him to say, " It's going to be okay." slowly, so Kili would understand._

_Kili shook his head. "No, no its not! No one can know. Fili, Im so scared, what if he finds out? I'll be send home. I cant go now." Kili whispered frantically, eyes darting back and forth between Fili's._

_"When did this happen?" Fili asked, and he noticed how Kili squinted at his lips, trying to figure out what he was saying. It took him a couple minutes, but then he answered clearly._

_"Right after Goblin Town. One of 'em got me in the back of the head with his club. At first it wasn't too bad, but it just got worse and worse. And now, there's nothing."_

_"We will work this out, don't worry." Fili had reassured him, but he could tell by the blank stare that Kili hadn't understood him. Fili sighed, Kili would have to learn how to read lips if he wanted to continue on this quest without his secret being revealed. A part of him urged him to tell someone else, Balin or Dwalin maybe but he knew Kili would never allow it._

_Fili then raised his hands, and signed in Iglishmek, "You okay" and added the sign for question mark. Kili had smiled and signed back "yes." And Fili felt a surge of hope. They would get through this._

Fili was jolted out of his memory by a harsh knock on the door. He looked up and saw a blonde elf peering at him through the bars. Immediately he felt the fury build in his chest. _What did the bloody elves want now?_

The elf's keys jangled as he unlocked the cell and stepped in. Fili recognized this one, the blonde that had dragged Bofur away, the one that had watched him fight with a look of pity on his face. Fili glared as the elf sat down next to him, and removed the gag from his mouth.

"You are the brown haired one's friend, are you not?" the elf asked

Fili said nothing, not yet anyway. The elf sighed.

"You know which one Im talking about. The one with the bow and arrow."

Fili studied the elf's face. This one seemed more sincere than the others, like he really wanted to help. Fili nodded his head, but didn't say anything.

"He didnt say a word, during the interrogations." the elf continued, and Fili felt a rise of panic in his chest. They had questioned Kili? Already? What did Kili do? He knew Kili could sometimes understand him, but only when he spoke slow enough for him to read his lips. Had he understood the fast pacing speech of the elves?

"None of us said anything." Fili replied.

"He was different. It was like he didn't understand what we were saying. Tell me, does he not speak westron?" the elf asked, "Its unusual, for a dwarf that age to not know at least some." he continued. Fili tried not to roll his eyes _elves and their ethnocentrism. _He pulled on the chains holding his wrists, adjusting them so now his left wrist bore the weight of the manacles. The elf's eyes trailed up to his hands.

"Let's make a deal, _dwarf. _You tell me about your little friend, and I will unlock those chains for you."

Fili's eyes flashed up to the elf's face. _Was he serious? _

"If I tell you, will you take me to him?" he bargained. The elf hesitated for only a second, but then nodded. "Yes."

Fili sighed as he watched the elf settle into a more comfortable position in front of him.

"What is your name, elf?" he asked. If was going to tell a story, he might as well know who he is talking to.

"Legolas. And you?"

"Fili."

"Alright Fili, please begin."

Fili pulled at the chains absentmindedly, trying to decide where to start, and decided It was best just to tell the truth.

"His name is Kili, and he is my brother. Listen, _Legolas, _Im not going to tell you why our company is here. Understand? Just about Kili." he added

Legolas just nodded.

"My brother was in an accident on our journey, he cannot hear very well. We kept it a secret as best as we could from the company-"

"Why?" Legolas cut in. Fili shot him an annoyed look for intertupting.

"Kili did not want to be a burden."

"Surely your companions would have helped."

"We managed on our own."

"Alright."

"And now we are here, and I worry for him. He understands _iglishmek-"_

"What's that?" Legolas asked

"_Secret _hand signals, none but a dwarf would know the signs."

"And that's why you fought to be together." Legolas finished for him.

Fili nodded, "Yes."

Legolas gave him a small smile, and then reached up, key in hand, to unlock the manacles.

"Come, let's go see you brother."

Fili smiled. Maybe elves werent all that bad.

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Thank you for reading! Next part will be up soon, probably the weekend. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Kili watched as his breathe condensed into clouds before his face. It still surprised him to see and feel himself breathing, but not to hear anything at all. This total silence was

new, before, if he strained hard enough, he could always hear something but now; nothing. He had first noticed something was off right after the eagles had dropped them by their nest, it was like someone had stuffed cotton balls in his ears. He had assumed it was the change in altitude, or the result of him banging his head in Goblin Town, and had pushed it back in his mind figuring it would go away in the morning. But it didn't. It got worse. It took them four days to reach Beorns, and through that time of travel his hearing had diminished to almost nothing. It hadn't faded all at once though, there were moments when it had almost been normal, but they never lasted long. It reminded him of a toy he used to play with when he was young (Bofur had called it a yóyo), one that would bounce up and down on a string; sometimes his hearing would be good, and others he could barely hear a sounds. This constant up and down had made it impossible for him to tell if he was getting better or not.

And now it was silent, like the yoyo being stuck on the down. It was very unnerving for him to see other's lips moving, but to not hear what they are saying. He had relied too heavily on the small amount of hearing he had left to help him understand, and now that it was gone he felt completely lost.

The Mirkwood spiders and the elves' harsh treatment didn't help much either. _These elves were very different from the Rivendale ones_, Kili thought as he stared at his manacled and bandaged hands. He vaguely wondered if Thranduil knew what his guards where doing, he had gotten the idea that there wasn't much leadership in Mirkwood. He raised his good hand and snapped, watching as his fingers went through the motions, and still felt surprised when he didn't actually hear anything.

The interrogations had been terrifying. Seeing the elves move around him in circles, lips moving too fast to be read. He had been too afraid to say anything, he didn't know if his voice sounded different, and he didn't want to risk them finding out his secret.

The only person who knew was Fili, _and it's going to stay that way._

A shadow cross over his legs and Kili felt himself twitch away from it. He closed his eyes and prayed that whomever was there would leave. _Another elf here to gawk at me? To make fun of me for being bound and helpless?_

He jumped when he felt a hand press against his knee. Slowly he opened his eyes, and felt relief flood through him as he saw the familiar form of his brother staring back at him. _Fili! I thought I lost you!_

Kili smiled and reached for his brother, grabbing Fili's collar with his manacled hands and pressing his forehead against Fili's cheek. He felt Fili's arms wrap around him and he knew that he was finally safe. _I was so scared, here by myself._

Fili was speaking, Kili could feel the vibrations from his brothers chest. Kili pulled back far enough so that he could see his brothers face, and squinted in the semi darkness, trying to understand what his brother was saying. _Kili- -, - safe._ Kili felt the frustration build, why could he never understand? What made it so hard? All he wanted was to seek comfort in his brother's words, but he couldn't. _I can't hear anything at all._

Fili must have sensed his frustration, for he switched from speaking to iglishmek. His hands weren't bound, which made the signs easy for Kili to understand.

_Brother, everything is okay. I am here._

Kili nodded in response, eyes flitting between Fili's hands and face. Fili gave him a small smile, and then turned to sit beside him next to the wall. Fili's gaze went past his, to something or someone. Kili turned to see where his brother was looking and froze; the elf was back. The same one who had figured out his secret. What was he doing here?

Fili was speaking again, Kili could feel it but he couldn't understand. The elf entered the cell, lips moving as he answered whatever Fili had said. The elf knelt down next to Kili, and he felt himself flinch slightly, but the elf only looked at him, and then held out a key.

_For the -. _He said, Kili assumed he meant the key was for the chains but he wasnt sure. He looked at Fili for help. Fili spoke something to the else, and then turned to Kili and signed in iglishmek; _He will remove the bonds._

Kili nodded. _Finally!_

When the chains were off, he drew his wrists back, rubbing them where the cuffs had cut into his skin. Fili took his hands, looking over the bandages and cuts with a look of distain on his face.

"I'm fine." Kili whispered softly. Fili's eyes glanced up at his and he smiled sadly, but didnt say anything. Fili squeezed his hands, and said slowly, "_I'm glad I found you, brother. We are going to be okay." _Kili smiled, he had actually understood that!

Kili saw a shadow move over his brother, and glanced up towards the elf, who had moved away from the brothers and was now standing awkwardly in the doorway. His lips moved, and then he felt Fili answer. He turned to his brother, looking for an explaination.

"- _is locking the door now. - you."_

_"What?" _Kili's look gave his confusion away.

_"I am staying here with you." _Fili tried again, this time slower.

Kili smiled and put his head on Fili's shoulder. Fili squeezed his hand tighter, and then started speaking, or humming-Kili could tell which, but the solid vibrations in his brother's chest was all he needed to find comfort in this cold, dark place.

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Sorry this is a short one, it was surprisingly hard to write from Kili's point of view . The next one should be easier, I hope! Thank you for reading, and for all the wonderful feedback! Please write a review, they are the milk to my cookies :)

I have a tumblr now! For updates, sneak peaks and fan art please follow at: music234 on tumblr


	4. An Exciting Announcement!

This is just a small announcement that I want to make to ya'll. I now have a tumblr!

For updates, sneak peeks, fan art and general musings please follow me at music234.(tumblr).com!

I will update this story very soon, I am in the midst of finals right now, and then I am graduating, and then I start my job! Busy busy times!

Thanks!


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